


Shred

by SkeletonJock



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Past Character Death, Post-Rebellion Story, Rebellion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-15
Updated: 2017-05-05
Packaged: 2018-03-17 22:16:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3545714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkeletonJock/pseuds/SkeletonJock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>NYC is isolated and being dictated, and someone tried to change that. Then they failed horribly. Two years later they're gonna try again with little to no plan and aliens.</p><p>A Rebellion!AU in the TMNT 2012 verse. Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shit is Slowly but Surely Hitting the Fan

**In a past time they were all happy. They were all teenagers, just defending the city against low level crime lords and some stray mutants here and there. Nothing too big. Then the Shredder arrived, and with him it seemed like a whole new wave of evil flooded the city.**

**New mutants, one's tougher and stronger than the turtles had ever face. Invasions, ones that put the entire world at risk. At some point even elements of the supernatural managed their way in the turtles’ lives, and yet the four brothers and their band of family and friends join together to help protect the place they called home: New York City.**

**That all changed when the brothers of legend died at the hands of their enemies. Until a rebellion, one that was sure to wipe out The Shredder, was stopped in its tracks by a lucky shot and a few poisoned darts.**

**The family tried to stop the tyrant's reign on New York City with a battle that would be told throughout time. Sadly the battle wasn't enough, and they failed. Their friends were abandoned, their family separated, the turtle brothers; Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo all slaughtered at the hands of The Shredder’s henchmen, or so the story says.**

**In two years’ time the rule on New York City has only worsened. Shredder has taken control of most of the Northeastern United States, well up into Maine (and some rumored parts of Canada). Mutants are well known, they are seen, but taboo amongst the public. They’re only discussed in hushed whispers behind the closed doors of homes or in shady back alleyways. Since the deaths rebellions have been reduced to small hiccups in the abandoned and quiet parts of New York City, and the police can easily disperse them, though most mutants and humans get arrested then registered as ‘insubordinates ‘. In Shredder’s world, that’s as bad as being a felon released on parole.**

**The Kraang are still a major influence in the city. They mutate whoever they want whenever they wish, so long as they stayed hidden under the Shredders rule. Across the city in hidden labs were mutants in cells. They were experimented on almost daily, lives a living hell. This was known by only a few individuals in New York, must of which were in Shredder’s tight knit circle of allies.**

**Two years of struggling later, a new light of hope shines in the rebels’ direction. The hope that the brothers are alive.**

* * *

 

**[3 Months ago]**

April drove along the quiet country road, the old party wagon rumbling along. Her tightly curled red hair was tied into a loose bun as the young woman let the warm June air pass through the open windows of the old Volkswagen. She needed some alone time, peace and quiet. She and Casey had taken a break, it was for the best for both of them at the time. The red headed needed to some fresh air and open space, Angel suggested the old farmhouse and April packed the next day.

She hadn’t been here since their return to NYC, over three years ago. The young woman brought some cleaning supplies and basic bedding, silverware and food along with her, already preparing for a dirty and abandoned house.

April pulled down the old driveway, noticing the old swing and the chicken coop with all the little puffy birds scattered around. Before they left, April asked a nice old lady to care for the chickens, so she wasn’t that surprised that they were still around. What April was surprised by was the intense feeling she got when she stepped out of the van; someone was here.

The redhead quickly reached for her sword, waiting and listening to her surroundings. Fleeting footsteps coming from the barn. Faint, but still there. Quickly she slipped behind trees and made her way to the rotting wood structure, limiting her breathing and listening. She heard the voices and they sounded so familiar. April shook it off. ‘You’re imagining it. ‘ She reassured herself. ‘ it’s probably some squatters. ‘ Finally as she waited for the voices to quiet again, she entered the barn.

The smell of mildew was potent in the dark, cool building. Her senses were on high alert as she waited for a sign, sword tightly clenched in her sweating hand. Finally she heard it- a rustling in the hay. April stalked closer towards it before raising her sword and- She was hit from behind.

" SHIT. " She yelped, swinging at what hit her. April’s sword met another, the owner’s eyes white then flickering to a sad blue. " Wait- Leo? "

" …April? " The eldest brother’s voice cracked. Mikey’s head popped out of the hay, " April!! " He quickly jumped up and hugged his old friend. April, however, wasn’t as excited. She was shaking, eyes filling with tears.

" You- You’re alive. " she gasped, before falling to her knees. Michelangelo quickly kneeled down and patted her back as the young woman processed what she was seeing, Leo looking away from the scene. " Is it… only you two? " She managed.

" No- Raph and Donnie are hiding in the cellar. " Mikey explained, " We thought you were with the Foot Clan, and we all kinda went into attack mode." When April didn’t reply, the youngest brother helped her to her feet. " Hey- it’s okay! Let’s get you something to drink. "

* * *

 

April sat at the kitchen table, staring at the iced tea in front of her. The turtles were standing on the outskirts of the kitchen, watching her every move. They all looked so tired, so grown up. It made her sad to think that they were here, but more than anything it angered her. " Why? " April finally spoke up, looking at them. The brothers looked away, but Donnie replied, 　" It was for the best, April. "

" For us? Or for you. "

" For everyone. " Raph snapped. "The Foot Clan thinks we’re dead- and with us the rebellion. We thought things in New York would get better. "

" Unbelievable! " April stood up, " You all are so dense that you actually believed that faking your own deaths would make things better?! " She yelled, slamming her hands on the table. " For two years the mutants have been discriminated against, anyone who speaks out against Shredder instantly becomes a felon and registered- Hell I can’t even finish school because I have mutagen in my system! DOES THAT SOUND LIKE NEW YORK HAS GOTTEN ANY BETTER? "

The brothers stood silent as April ran her fingers through her hair in a frantic manner, tears streaming down her face. " We’ve been- We’ve been slaughtered. Remember how we had a few thousand mutants in New York? We’re down to the high hundreds. Only ones who rat on any rebellion plans get spared, and even then they're just added to Shredder’s growing army. " Slowly the red head sat down again as Donnie walked over, offering a pat on the back. April sighed, " You already know Splinters dead, my dad managed to make it to Florida- not that that’s much better- but the Mighty Mutanimals have survived. "

Leo quickly interjected, " Karai? Is she okay? " April bit her bottom lip. " We haven’t found her. We all thought she died with you guys. "

" No, she escaped into the sewers and said she would catch up with you and Angel. " Leo muttered. " I should’ve gone with her. "

" It was her choice. " Donnie sighed, " For all we know she could be like us- in hiding. "

" Maybe. " April sighed. " But… how’ve you been out here, in hiding? "

" It’s boring as hell. " Raph rumbled, his voice having gotten deeper over the year. He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a soda. " Thankfully Bernie’s still around so we could get grub from the store once in awhile, and Mikey’s frog friends came to visit last year. "

" That’s really all that’s happened, though. " Mikey shrugged. " We all miss New York… "

" Then come back. " April urged, wiping off her tear stained face. " We all miss you. You coming back, we can finish what we started- "

" No. " Leo snapped. " It’s too dangerous. "

" Too dangerous? You’ve taken on so much more and won! " April argued. She looked at each other them; their faces tired and worn, embarrassed from their retreat from their home. A sense of courage, anger and determination filled the young woman. She had to get these guys back on their feet. " You took down an entire alien army! You saved New York from two attempted Invasions and one actual invasion! Shredder is nothing. "

" We thought that a few years ago April, but look what happened. " Donatello sighed, " We lost. "

" Are you serious? " The read head gawked, " You guys are the Teenage Mutant fucking Ninja Turtles and as your acting big sister I REFUSE to let you give up. " She stood up again, taking her ice tea in hand. " I’m going to go unpack my things, cause I’m staying here for the summer, but you all better get your asses in gear. You’re going to come back with me to New York. "

" April- "

" Come on- "

" We can’t- "

" But- "

" NO BUTS. " The young woman yelled as she walked up the stairs. They all sat in silence until Raph looked at his brothers, " Well she hasn’t changed. "

Little did they know, a spy was sent to watch over them. She watched from the far off trees, writing down notes on a small note pad. ‘ Ninjara- Log 1. April O’Neill is out of the city. Turtles are alive(?)’ She stuffed the notepad and pencil into her backpack and sighed, leaning against a tree branch. Three more months and she’ll have big news for Shredder.

* * *

**[Present Day]**

_//This is Ceberus reporting from Kraang lab 12-14. We have been experiencing security defects for the past--//_

There was a large **BOOM** , followed by audio static,and the video feed frizzing for a moment. _//NO! KRAANG, DESTROY THEM!//_

There were sounds of fighting and battle as the video feed ended abruptly. Shredder stood, staring at the large screen. His task force behind him and all its members bristled with anxiety. The ninja turned, eyes burning with rage, "This is the third attack in the last two weeks." He seethed, "Who has been doing this!?"

"We think the rebellion has reignited, master," Tigerclaw murmured, his ears lowering.

"And," Alopex added, "despite our best efforts, we suspect the turtles are... alive." The air in the room suddenly changed from one of anxiety to one of agitation as there was an overwhelming, singular thought from all the members of the task force: ‘Goddamn it, Alopex'.

"WHAT?" Shredder boomed. Everyone winced. He clenched his fists, voice dripping with anger, "How did this happen?" The room grew quiet again, nobody wanted to admit that there were no bodies left behind of the turtles after the battle, but it was suspected that the rebels just wanted a burial for them. The task force weren't animals. Well They _were_ , but they still had some humanity in them. Finally the silence in the room broke with a shaky voice.

"Master," Apep, a lizard-girl who had joined a year before the battle, tried to argue. "what if they _are_ dead?"

"Apep, we've seen them." Moira, a moth woman, protested. "Xever and I were checking out a lab when they attacked. It was one of the brothers and at least 5 other mutants."

" But how do we know, Mothra? " Anton Zeck argued, "Any mutant turtle could be posing as them. "

" SILENCE. " Shredder yelled, causing all the mutants to look down. " We will catch every mutant, every former rebel we can and bring them here. The turtles will come, if they are alive. If they don't, we'll kill the prisoners. "

"Yes master. " They droned in unison.

" Dismiss. "

" Nice job Apep. " The warthog mocked, grabbing a beer out of the fridge. " Did you _see_ how mad he was? "

" Hey that wasn't my fault. " Apep protested, sitting back on one of their make-shift lounge couches. " Alopex is the one who told him about the turtles. " Moira glared, " We needed to tell him! Imagine if the turtles attacked and he found out we didn’t tell him sooner! "

Iyana, an obnoxious dog mutant, shrugged. " Moira has a point. We would've been in deeper shit in the future if we didn't tell him now. "

She and Bradford were playing a simple game of pool as the others sat around the room. Apep and Moira were sitting on one of the three couches, Ivan on the opposite ( with Zeck just sitting down next to him ), while Tundra, a newer recruit, sat on the ground near the coffee table- she couldn’t fit much anyway else.

" What are you gonna do? " The lion asked. Chris looked at his new protege , " About what?"

" The rebellion! Do you guys think you can take them down again? "

" They do seem to be getting more.... intense. " Ivan squinted. "They haves never _destroyed_ labs. "

"And what happened at the battle? " The lion asked. " What didn’t happen. " Anton mumbled, sipping his drink. The warthog’s rhino companion sighed, " Chris- she is your student. Tells her about the battle. "

The dog huffed in distain, but nodded. " Tundra, do you remember about two years ago? Part of the city was cut off due to military testing? " The young girl gave this some thought before nodding. " Well it was actually cut off due to a huge fight we had against the rebellion. "

" We lost a lot of mutants. " Apep mumbled. Moira nodded sadly, " But they lost even more. "

" We won the battle. " Chris continued, " We killed the leaders of the rebellion- The Hamato brothers. Or we thought we did. "

" The bodies were never found. " Anton muttered, " We thought the rebels just wanted a burial- something to remember them, yknow? "

" After that the rebellion died down- little to no activity except for some minor disturbances in the more abandoned parts of the city. Until a few weeks ago- Kraang lab 86-03 was attacked by former rebels. "

" Followed by lab 19-84. " Apep added. " That’s the one Moira and Xev were at. "

" And lab 12-14- Ceberus’ post. " Anton finished. The new recruit sat in silence, taking in what this meant. " So they’re back. The turtles. "

Zeck looked at Moira, " Are you sure you saw one of the green freaks? "

The quiet moth nodded. " Xever was sure of it. Chris, did he tell you about the attack?"

Bradford shrugged as Iyana took her turn at the pool game, " He said it was that hot head Raphael. " Zeck leaned back, " Didn't he have some punk friend? Hockey mask and sticks to match? I swear Hun has a vendetta against him. "

" His last name was Jones, I remember that. I bet Hun can get the Purple Dragons on a hunt for him. " Apep suggested. " That Kung-Fool will definitely know who we’re talking about if he has a bone to pick with the kid."

" His little girlfriend is probably running around with him- April, right? " Chris turned to look at the warthog, " April O’Neill – Shredder once kidnapped her for the Kraang, but Hamato Yoshi freed her. "

Apep looked up, " Are the Kraang still after her? "

" I don't know, but there's a good chance. "

" If we can get the Kraang on this, we'll have even more bodies looking for her. " Anton pointed out, leaning forward a bit. " Are there any other humans we should look for? "

" Angel – That one chick who lead the direct assault on The Chapel. " Iyana growled. " She’s probably still around. "

" We should get Starla and Baxter to look up any medical and New York personnel files on them. " Moira suggested. Tundra finally piped up after debating to ask, " What about Karai? " The room’s atmosphere shifted with the mention of the former Foot member. Chris stopped his shot in the pool match and quickly turned around, " What about her? "

" If- " His student faltered under his seething gaze, but she continued. " If the turtles survived- is there a possibility- "

" No. She’s dead. "

" But- "

" Tundra! " He barked. " She is GONE. "

Quickly every right minded mutant in the room fled at Chris’s tone, muttering apologies and excuses. After a few minutes of angry, awkward silence the skeletal dog left as well- leaving the lion to regret bringing the fallen kuonich.

Starla was in her lab, mixing a two dangerous chemicals, " Baxter can you hand me- " She looked back at the other scientist, but the fly was fast asleep at his station’s controls. " Oh Bax.. "

" Starla!" Ivan barged into the lab. The reindeer shrieked, almost dropping her beakers. " Ivan! " The other snapped, setting the concoctions down on a nearby table. " What have I told you about knocking? Especially when I'm mixing toxic chemicals!" Starla looked up, seeing Baxter buzzing peacefully in a deep slumber. She sighed a breath of relief, not wanting to deal with a fly with little to no sleep.

Ivan looked at the other scientist, " apologies- I did not realize- "

" It’s fine. " Starla turned her back on him, walking over to a set of test tubes, " So, Steranko. Why have you barged into my lab? Did Xever finally choke out Brad- "

" No no, they are fine. I actually need you to look up the person files of rebels. "

" Oh.. this is about your situation I suppose? "

" Yous know of our situation? "

Starla rolled her eyes, " Oh yes I do, Ivan. ' Noo we don't need to bring in the bodies ' said Xever. ' They are dead!! I poisoned them!!' Malarkey. I told him. " She pointed her hooved finger at the rhino, " I told him, but do they listen to me? No. "

" Listen, we haves identified one of their human friends and need to know their last place of residence and whereabouts. " Starla sat down her chemicals and sat down at her desktop, pulling up a filing system they used for most of New York." Their Names? "

" We know one is April O'Neill. " The deer started scrolling through various files, humming. After a minute or two she looked at Ivan, " What does she look like? "

" Uh..Ginger.Teenager? "

" Okay she is NOT that O'Neill. " Starla shook her head and clicked at the screen, then pulled up another one. " Here. Is this her? " She took out a page with a picture of a young girl on it. She was around 16 and had her red hair in a pony tail, and an obviously forced smile on her face.

The rhino nodded, " Dah, that's her. " Starla sat down, looking through the file. " The picture they have on file is old- at least by four years- but the last place of residence is with a woman named ' Angel Bridge ' and that was updated just 6 months ago. 2414 Creston Avenue. " She leaned back, looking up at Ivan. " Care to have that printed out, hornhead? "

" It woulds be appreciated. " The brute huffed. Starla chuckled to herself, " Of course it would. " The two sat in silence as the deer processed the file. Finally Ivan spoke up, " Starla- "

" Yes Hornhead? "

" What do yous think turtle freaks are after? Why those three labs? "

Starla smirked as the files printed and she handed them to Ivan. " Well Steranko, those labs were all testing facilities. Our favorite little terrapins simply wanted a few of their friends back. " She turned back to the screen. " But they didn't take in account the tracking devices. "

* * *

 

" Are you sure Angel's going to be okay? " April asked as she, Casey, Mondo and Raph drove the Shellraiser, which some kind mutant artists in the sewer community painted into a garbage truck, towards their secret warehouse. Casey exhaled, " April she'll be FINE. Angel's a fighter, a tough girl. Hell, she's kicked Raph's tail before. "

" She kept saying ' Fight Me ' and I obliged. "

"And what happened? "

" ... I got my ass handed to me. "

" What did I tell you? " Casey gave April a reassuring smile. Mondo leaned back in his seat, " Plus we got Noma watching over her for a few weeks. Girl's the best recon we got. "

" True.. " The ginger sighed, running her fingers through her long hair. " I just- I worry, you know? "

Casey snorted, " Again, she'll be fine. They'll never find out we were staying at her place. "

April just couldn't shake the feeling. She knew something bad was going to happen. Something big was going to happen soon. Just a few months ago, she found her old friends.

The four brothers, who the whole mutant rebellion thought they lost to the hands of the Shredder, had been hiding in secret all this time. It took April weeks to convince them to come home, but with some coaxing (and total ninja stealth) they managed to get back into the city and were greeted with cries of joy and celebration. There was a new sense of hope for the mutants.

Now? Now a new plan was set in motion and there was no mercy. The mutants would win this time, but April still dreaded the future. Nothing was ever this easy, at least not for them.

　


	2. Old Faces, New Problems and Relatively the Same Bullshit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For once, the Safari Pair do it right. Kind of.

The two mutants took up nearly the entire van, the human and mouser accompanying them only made it more cramped. “ Why am I doing this again? “ Alec questioned, scrunching up the most they could between their dog and tiger companions, the tiny animal-like robot in their lap screeching loudly. 

Chris glanced at the witch then back to the road, “ Because you’re more terrifying than the two of us put together.”

“ And your voice is rather loud and intimidating. “

“ I feel so accomplished. “ They mumbled, “ So just a run down: You guys fucked up and now the registered mutants have to turn in unregistered mutants and rebels for cash rewards. “

“ Please don’t tell them we messed up. “ The Chris growled. “ It wasn’t entirely our fault- “  
“ Well it sure as hell sounds like it, Bradford.” Alec snapped as they unbuckled their seat belt. The terrifying mutt parked the van in an empty power plant parking lot. From outside you could hear the rumbling and murmuring of hundreds of voices. As the four made their way to the abandoned building, the young witch mumbled under their breath, “ I warned you, Chris. I told you what I saw. If you listened two years ago we wouldn’t be here now. “

\--

“ SPINSTRA? “ Snakeweed called, looking around frantically in the crowded building. “ VIC! DID YOU FIND HER? “ The spider mutant was quickly toddling around the upper balcony, shaking his head ‘no’ towards the plant mutant. Snakeweed hissed in anger as he continued searching that mass of mutants until a deafening roar was heard. This was followed by a large display of flames glowing across the ceiling, which successfully silenced the crowd.

“Thank you Tigerclaw~ NOW that I have all your attention! “ The small, blond figure’s voice could be heard from all corners of the building as the flames in front of them dispersed. “ I’m sure you’re all curious as to why you’re here! Well...” Alec then explained the situation that everyone in the room knew about. The Henchmen’s revealed failure to retrieve the Hamato brothers’ bodies, and the boys’ sudden revival, was common knowledge. 

As the witch’s words faded into the back of Snakeweed’s mind, a small tap on the back caused him to jump. Turning around, the weed was met face to face with his new responsibility, Spinstra. How the 17 year old girl was mutated and still happy despite her life being ruined was a mystery. How she came into Snakeweed and Vic’s care was an even bigger question, and a story for another time. 

“Where have you been?” Snake whispered, careful to stay out of Alec and their mutant escorts’ gaze.

“Chill, Snake. The girls and I lost track of time.” Spinstra explained, patting the giant green specimen’s hand. “What’s going on? I see they got that satanic bunny to speak for us again~” Snakeweed shushed her before tuning into the last bit of Alec’s speech.

“ AND SO due to this inconvenience to you all we are offering you a rare opportunity! Much like years ago, it will be a $500 reward for each unregistered mutant that you turn in, BUT...“ Alec tapped the small mouser next to them on the helm, to which it responded with a holographic wall of mugshots. Each a rebel leader or a person in relation with a leader. ”… If you turn in one of these criminals, you will be rewarded an extra $1000 AND a possible chance to join in Shredder’s top ranks as a Mutant Task Force recruit! “

At that the entire power plant roared with approval, all mutants scrambling to get a better look at the wanted rebels. Tigerclaw looked completely shell shocked while Chris grabbed Alec’s arm, “ What the hell was that?! WE NEVER AGREED ON THAT! “

“ Oh please, Bradford. This will make things much more interesting~ “

Meanwhile Snakeweed turned to Spinstra, who was already taking photos of the mugshots, “ I’m gonna book it! “ She yelled over the crowd. “ Sarah and Amy gotta hear about this! “

“Who?!” Snake yelled, but the spider was already jetting off into the masses. The plant dramatically sighed and motioned to Vic (who was desperately avoiding the mob) to follow him. With great determination, and thankfully being big enough to avoid being squished, the two made it out of the power plant. Spinstra was nowhere to be seen. They weren’t that worried; she would probably be back at their place before the end of the night.

“I hate meetings!” Vic shouted at the night sky. “They’re loud and smelly and- and-!”

“ You hate everything. “ Snakeweed argued, lifting a manhole cover and letting the spider down first. Spiderbytez begrudgingly climbed down into the dark pit, muttering complaints under his breath.

Their ‘home’, as Spinstra called it (Snake and Vic called it ‘The Dump’), was a section of abandoned sewer they managed to turn into a place to stay. It had a small area where weather made its way through cracks in the ceiling and walls, providing both sunlight and rain. It had high ceilings, a bonus that Vic took full advantage of with his large maze of spider webs in the far off corner of the sewer, that was trashed with newspapers and old garbage.

It was around 3 a.m. when Spinstra returned home, silently creeping towards Snakeweed who was tending to his small makeshift garden of “found” and “rehomed” plants he had found around the city. “Hey Weed,” She asked in a very soft voice, as not to wake up Vic. “Who are the rebels?”

“ You never experienced the rebellions, kid? “ Snakeweed asked. Spinstra shook her head and the large plant sighed, “ They were big trouble, or at least in the Shredder’s eyes.”

“They were mutants and humans who wanted to change things in New York.” He explained further as he watered a potted dandelion. “It was a fine idea, yeah, but the people who started it were jerks. “ 

“Why were they jerks?”

“They were the reason Vic and I were mutated, Spin.”

Spinstra mulled this over, but got the sense from Snake’s tone that that was enough questions for the night. She scooted to her own webbed tent she managed to make on her own accord, nestling herself into the small tunneled opening and pulled an old, dirty pink blanket over herself. “ G’night guys.”

“ Night. “ Snakeweed hummed, distracted by his stolen marigolds. The steady drop of water from a nearby pipe nulled the spider girl to sleep.   
\---  
Apep’s teeth chattered, despite the fact that it was 66 degrees in the van and she was wearing a large, puffy winter jacket. “ I h-hate October.” She mumbled, scooting closer to Ivan. The rhino didn’t seem to mind as he continued to chomp down on his burger.

The trio had managed to hijack a large amount of burgers for their stakeout for this ‘Angel Bridge’. Bebop, Rocksteady and Apep were parked in the alleyway next to her apartment building, as they were instructed to do for their mission that night. Their task was simple: find Angel and anyone who’s with her, and bring them in.  
So far there had been no sign of the young woman. They had been waiting for an hour already. It was a cool 30 degree night and due to the van’s shotty heating and Apep’s cold bloodness, it was going to be a long night for all of them.

“’Pep we could’ve gotten you a coffee or something. “ Anton said, leaning back in his driver’s seat and digging into his third burger.  
“I was asleep when you ordered!”

“Oh yeah. “ He shrugged,” Well at least you got Ivan. Dudes like a 9 foot space heater.”

“Is all the mass.”

“Yeah well your mass is keeping me alive right now, dude.”

“Apep forgives me for asking, but why are yous on this mission if you can dies in cold?” The rhino questioned. Apep shrugged, “I didn’t want to go with Xever and Tundra to face the Purple Dragons. Hey speaking of, have you heard from them?”

Anton laughed, “Moira sent me a text about 20 minutes ago that said they were just leaving. Tundra was late again.”  
“The lion needs watch. Badly.”

As they continued their three way conversion, a group of teenagers made their way to the front steps of the apartments. They whispered in hushed tones, most helping a fourth member of their group keep upright.

“I can’t believe you’re alive.” Angel whispered, “Where have you been?”

“Around.” The fourth replied shortly, a chill running up their spine. “Can we hurry? I can’t stay in the cold too long, Bridge.”

“Right, right sorry. Mondo, get the door. Malachi I’m gonna need you to keep watch.” The two mutants nodded before moving to their positions and Angel ushered her friend inside.

The apartment building was smaller than most in NYC. Upon walking through the single large front door, there was only a mud area for dirty shoes and a large staircase. On each landing there were two separate doors on the opposite walls. The carpets were a dingy maroon while the walls and doors were a faded eggshell white. With four landings in all, Angel resided on the third with the door numbered 7.

It was almost as cold as the outside inside the building, causing the hooded figure to shiver, “Does this place have heat?”

“Sorry only the apartments do.” Angel mumbled. Meanwhile Malachi tweeted around, eagerly flapping from door to door and listening. After he was satisfied that nearly all residents were asleep at three in the morning, the tiny bird zoomed to door number 7 and unlocked it. He peered inside and it was just Angel’s small, nearly furniture less apartment. With no one in sight Malachi flew out into the hall, “ Clear! “

“Thank you Malachi. “ She mumbled, hurrying up the stairs past the tiny sparrow. Angel shook her head at her old friend and whispered to the bird, “You and Mondo head home, alright? Karai and I will stay here for the night.”

“You want us to tell the guys?” Mondo asked, adjusting his beanie.

“Not yet, I want to wait until she’s ready to come out.” Angel bit her bottom lip, looking back in the apartment then back at the younger mutants. “Just tell Leo we went out to hang out for the night?”

“But he’ll explode if he finds out we were on the surface.” Malachi tweeted.

“And he’ll explode and run here, out in the open, as fast as his little turtle legs can carry him if he finds out Karai’s at my place. All of them will. Half the mutant army will. “ The former thug shook her head, “We need to keep a low profile.”

“Can do, Angel.” Mondo reassured her, wrapping his arm around Malachi. “I’ll get Tweety here home safe and sound. And keep my mouth shut. Mutants honor, dude.”

Angel giggled before slightly closing the door, “Thanks Jason, stay warm.” The young woman shut the door on the two before sighing and leaning against it. Karai was scavenging the kitchen drawers, hood drawn back and shaggy, shoulder length black hair frizzing from the static cling.

Who would’ve thought that tonight of all nights the former field commander of the mutant rebellion would be dying in an alleyway. Sadly Karai was still part snake, so the cold really took a toll on her. Mondo, Angel and Malachi just happened to be walking home from a snack run when they saw the snake warrior curled up in front of a dumpster and freezing to death. Thank god they found her before someone else did.

“What are you looking for?”

“ Rubbing alcohol. “ She mumbled, “I have a large open wound on my upper arm that needs to be attended to.”

“What happened? Let me see it. “ Angel insisted. Karai rolled her eyes before reluctantly moving the collar of her jacket down her shoulder, exposing a small chunk of flesh missing from her upper triceps. “Holy SHIT. “

“It was a tracking device. I had to take it out myself. “ She shrugged. “I just need to disinfect it.”

“ Yeah, yeah uh. It’s in the bathroom. Do you-“

“ I can handle it myself. Thanks Angel. “ Karai snipped before walking into the bathroom on the other side of the apartment. Angel sighed, at least Karai was back, she thought. How did Karai get a tracking device in planted? Maybe she was kidnapped by the Kraang. What if there were others like her?

“Hey Karai-“ Angel stopped mid sentence, a sound outside catching her ear. She moved over to her only window and listened closely. It was a fight and if the multiple trash cans being flipped over and destroyed were any indication the tussle sounded fairly intense.

Finally Angel looked out the window. She saw Malachi flying around the heads of three figures, pecking at them furiously. Mondo was holding his ground against the smaller one, while the two taller figures were trying to catch the tiny bird that was air assaulting them.

“We don’t have time for this, Gecko.” Apep growled, throwing a punch at his jaw and nearly knocking the young man out. “Where’s Angel Bridge?”  
“Like I’d tell you, poser!” Another punch. Angel took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. Well they’re looking for her, time to shoot. “Karai! Sorry to bug you but we have a situation!”

“Which ones?” She yelled from the bathroom.

“Wild Safari and Liz Lips. “

“Shit.” Angel could hear Karai hustling in the bathroom, she quickly undid her pistol from her hip holster, peering out the window. Mondo and Malachi were out cold and laying by a dumpster, while the three goons seemed to be moving on to Angel’s building.

“You think you can take them?”

“Most likely. I do have my swords.”

“Want me to shoot?”

“It could distract them.”

“Aye.” Angel quickly snapped open her window then whistled. “YO DING DONGS.” The three turned around and looked up at the window.

“HEY THAT’S HER.”

“FUCK YEAH ITS ME.” And that’s when Angel started shooting. She knew she hit someone, Angel wasn’t a lousy shot, but then again she wasn’t aiming to hit anyone either. She just wanted to throw them off.

Quickly the young woman shut her window, noticing the three were recollecting from her shots and were running towards the apartments. “Karai we need to go!”  
“One second!”

“WE DON’T HAVE A SECOND.” The heavy footsteps from outside only worsened Angel’s growing anxiety, but the woman listened carefully and waited to strike. The voices outside the door sounded angry and pained.

“Comrade Bebop are you sure you’re alrights? Is bleeding badly.”

“I’ll be fine, Big S. I’ve been through worse.” Angel heard snorting. “This one is it. It smells like those two dweebs- “ She stopped listening and quickly dove behind the couch, just in time before Rocksteady knocked down the door at full force.

“What a dump.” Apep observed, wiping her finger on the counter with a face of disgust.

“ ‘Pep, we’re not here to critique the girl’s home.” Anton mumbled, sniffing the air again. He grinned before silently motioning towards the couch and bathroom. “Two of them.”

“Second one?”

“Can’t get a good smell. Big S, get the door.” The rhino nodded and positioned himself next to the bathroom door. The warthog and lizard grinned at each other before Anton walked towards the couch, Apep staying guard towards the entrance.

Angel’s heart pounded as she quickly got her gun ready despite her shaking hands. She could hear the warthog inching closer and closer. They knew Karai was here too, She had to distract them.

“ Girl just come out, we know-“ Angel sprung up, holding the gun to Anton’s nose. Ivan took a step forward, but Angel clicked the gun’s chamber into place.  
“Take one more step, Steranko, and I shoot him.” Apep quickly reached for her own gun, but Ivan glared at her and the lizard lowered her hand.

“Now,” Angel lead the warthog back a few steps, gun tip still pressed to his nose. “You and your pals are going to let me and my pals go.”

“And if we don’t?”

“I shoot you. And I would hate to get your snout splattered all over my nice walls, Zeck.”

“You said the same thing a few years ago, Angel. And if I remember correctly you chickened out.”

“After Fishface killed my friends.”

“But did he really?” Anton smirked. The conversation was interrupted by the sounds of rustling in the bathroom. Ivan looked at the two, then back at the bathroom door. Angel didn’t say a word and only watched as the large rhino man opened the door and peered inside.

Everything happened in a split second. Karai, with her hood and a scarf covering most of her face, cried out and tackled Steranko. Apep drew her gun and shot at the snake girl. As Angel moved to shoot at the lizard Anton grabbed the gun and aimed it at her.

“Well shit.” Angel muttered before the pig fired on her. She dodged the best she could, only getting hit in the arm. Karai quickly drew her swords and charged at the warthog before Ivan punch her, the force sending Karai into the wall. That didn’t stop her as she dropped her swords and stood up.

“Bring it, small one.” Ivan snorted. Karai laughed, hands morphing and elongating into beautiful white snake heads. The rhino’s eyes widened as he back up, remembering those snakes, but it was too late. Karai attacked, heads snapping at Steranko. He managed to dodge them, drawing his sickle and hammer to knock them back. The snake woman hissed and charged him. Her arms angrily continued to snap at him before they finally got some bites, but that hardly affected Ivan. Finally he got one good hit in, knocking Karai back with his hammer. She stumbled and Ivan hit again, effectively knocking her down.  
“I thoughts you weres dead, Karai.”

“Who?” She mumbled. The rhino kneeled down, grabbing her face with one hand and lifting her up. “Do nots play dumb, girl. I have seens no other mutants with shifting powers like yours. “

Karai moved her hand on to Ivans, “Shifting powers? Like this?” She tugged her scarf down and hissed, mouth opening wide enough that she was able to chomp most of Ivan’s hand. The rhino roared in pain, dropping Karai while cursing in his native tongue.

“ Ivan! “ Apep yelled as she and Anton tried to restrain Angel.

“MIWA, RUN!” Angel screamed from her position on the ground, a kick from Anton’s boot effectively silencing her. The snake girl pulled up her scarf and bolted for the door, disappearing down the staircase.

“Forget her.” Anton gasped, running over to Ivan. “Big S, are you alright?”

“Snake girl, she had bites me many times. “ Ivan mumbled, large hand dripping a good amount of blood. Anton grabbed his hand and looked back at Apep,” Get Bridge and get her into the back of the van. Can you drive?”

“Yeah,” Apep grunted as she hauled the unconscious girl over her shoulder. “You want me to get her friends too?”

“Nah, just her. “ The pig helped his best friend up, who was already growing weak from the copious amounts of snake poison coursing through him. “When you’re done help me get Ivan in the van. We’re both a little fucked up.” Anton ordered, wincing slightly at the bullet wound in his back.

“You’re telling me.” Apep mumbled, stepping outside the destroyed door frame. “You gonna be okay?”

“Peachy. Just please, hurry.”  
\----------------  
“ MONDO! MONDO, WAKE UP! “ The gecko snorted awake, the cold hitting him like a subway train. “Oh god. ” He groaned, shivering.

“What happened?” The figure standing above him was female. Her name was Sanoma Bates and her dark brown eyes were fearful in the paling moonlight. “Wheres Angel? What happened to her apartment?”

“Angel-? Apartment? “ Mondo sat up, already weak.” Malachi- Where’s Malachi?”

“He went and got help. The Shellraiser is coming to pick you up. Now what happened? “

“Bebop, Rocksteady and Apep.” He rasped, rubbing his jaw. “They’re looking for her.”

“Shit.” Noma looked back as she heard the large vehicle pull up to the alleyway. 

April ran out, kneeling down beside the gecko man.“What happened?”

Noma stood up, flipping her hood over her head and engaging her leg boosters. Her prosthetics shifted into place and the young girl looked at April, “ The rhino and pig kidnapped Angel while I was at the corner store. I’m going to track them down. “

April stood up and grabbed her arm, “Noma, you don’t know what you’re getting into. You have to come with us.”

“ No I don’t.” Noma shook free of her grip. “I’ll call if I locate her.” Without another word the young woman pulled out her grappling hook and shot up onto the top of the building, leaving April in the alleyway with an unconscious Mondo.

“NOMA WAIT- Dammit! “ April shouted, picking up the mutant and stomping to the Shellraiser. “RAPH, WE HAVE A SITUATION. “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IM SO SORRY IT TOOK MESO LONG TO POST THIS HOPE YA'LL ARE SATISFIED


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